During periods of water shortages or drought many community leaders throughout California ask, or even require, that residents and local businesses allow their lawns to go brown in an effort to save dwindling water supplies for higher uses such as drinking or bathing. But one east Windsor neighborhood is immune to such requests. In that sub-division of 473 homes, front lawns provide a lush, green oasis that is not subject to restrictions, drought or no drought.

When construction on the Vintage Greens sub-division was planned in the early 2000s, an agreement between the Town of Windsor and the developer specified that the front yards of every home be irrigated with highly-treated wastewater, known as recycled water. Additionally, homebuyers were given the option to use recycled water in their backyards, as well. 

The Vintage Greens neighborhood is in an elite class of innovative, environmentally friendly homes striving for sustainability. All wastewater collected from the site is highly treated and returned to the site to be reused for landscape irrigation. It is among the first residential developments in Northern California to be equipped with dual piping that enables homeowners to use recycled water outdoors and potable drinking water indoors.

By 2008, all the Vintage Greens homes had been built and sold. To date, about 52% of homeowners have elected to irrigate their backyards with recycled water, in addition to their front yards, which is required. By irrigating their landscaping with recycled water, these residents, combined, are saving approximately 25 million gallons per year of drinking water.

Recycled water is also used to irrigate the Vintage Greens neighborhood park, the playing fields at the Wilson Ranch Soccer Park, which sits adjacent to the sub-division, the nearby Windsor Golf Course and at Windsor High School, where recycled water is used to irrigate the landscaping and for toilet flushing.

Recycled water, treated to a level of purity considered safe for swimming, is a reliable resource that not only saves drinking water for higher purposes, but also provides a sustainable method for reclaimed water disposal through treatment and reuse. It is an excellent water resource; it provides a dependable, year-round water supply and is an environmentally sound way to stretch our valuable water resources.

The Town of Windsor treats its wastewater to tertiary recycled water standards (also referred to as advanced water treatment) which is the highest level of treatment defined by the State; this level of treatment allows for unrestricted reuse in virtually all reclaimed water applications. The Town’s recycled water is monitored and tested daily to ensure that it consistently meets these high quality standards.

For more information on Windsor’s recycled water quality, see the Town's Annual Water Quality Comparison Report